


Awaiting Dusk

by Averagecrazychic



Series: Chasing Sunsets [1]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Charlie deserved better, Comfort, Death, Death in the first chapter, Divorce, F/F, F/M, Honeymoon, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Virginity, Love, Marriage, OC, Other, Romance, Separation, Twilight References, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-19 01:27:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Averagecrazychic/pseuds/Averagecrazychic
Summary: They? Who the heck was Charlie? Who was this woman? Hadn't I just died? Someone needed to call God and tell him there was a wicked Glitch in the matrix! My eyes widened as I came to a realization. "Isabella Marie Swan," the woman pointed daintily over to my left side and then pointed to me, " and Elizabeth May Swan." Oh, sweet baby Jesus... I was reborn.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Original Swan Character, Embry Call/Bella Swan
Series: Chasing Sunsets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177490
Comments: 17
Kudos: 23





	1. ACT I: You are Insignificant in the Grand Scheme of Things

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that the following chapter contains mentions of the death of a loved one in a hospital setting. So, if you know that you have trouble navigating that sort of thing, feel free to skip forward one more chapter and read from there.

There I was, laying on my deathbed. The rhythmic beat of the heart monitor next to me was a constant reminder of where I was, why I was there, and why I wasn't gonna leave it anytime soon. At least, not on my own two feet. They'd probably wheel me out on the gurney, a sheet covering my entire body and face as the small world my last remaining family had, crashed and burned. It was easy to guess that life would continue on as usual for everyone else that wasn't in the room when it happened. Nurses, droids, and doctors would still be roaming the halls, checking their pagers and rushing here and there...Patients would still be wheeled in and out of the hospital with concerned and worry-stricken family members jogging after them. Life would move forward without me. And why wouldn't it?

I was your average 104-year-old woman, nobody special or worth noting. No Nobel prizes to claim or news articles to be written about me. I was just average. But as my small family consisting of my three children, Andromeda, Hunter, and River, their children and their kids crowded around my bed- I couldn't help but feel slightly bitter about that fact.

My death would affect no one else but them in the long run, it would be like the morning breeze that you feel against your skin when you first step outside to embrace the sunrise. Insignificant. Part of me wished I had something to write home about, some grand adventure I went on to discover my "true self" or some other bullshit like that.

Where was my epic love story with a person who was made solely for me? Where was the war I played a crucial part in ending? My summons to a strange land? An all-powerful mace and a fellowship on an awesome quest to destroy the One Ring of mayhem in my fantasy world? Had God forgotten to deliver it? Had it been sent to the wrong address? There has always been a problem with my mail...

But here I was, insignificant as ever- in some stuffy hospital, wearing those itchy gowns they made people wear. They always bothered me, the gaping slit at the back of my gown exposing all that cake for what it really was- _FLAT_ -, and not to mention the fact that they crinkled and crisped like the stale Pringles my son had snuck in last night. _Bah!_ What a nuisance.

And that numbing sterile smell of bleach and overpowering antiseptic that the staff used to wipe down every inch and corner of the hospital with? **Horrid!** The least they could do was use some linen spray on the bed so that it didn't smell like someone had taken a shit, farted, and then sprayed ammonia on it to get out the deep stains.

The too-short hospital sheet was snug around my legs from when Andy had tucked me in securely. I was uncomfortable, immensely so - but in my weakened state, I didn't move much. It was proving to be too taxing to keep my eyes open to gaze at my small family as they told me hilarious stories of their lives that I hadn't been privy to, prior to my hospitalization. And rightly so, I would have boxed Joseph for the stunts he had pulled in college with Micheal- a good family friend. And Philip! Dear goodness, that child had taken after his father more than he had ever realized.

"-He thought that she was the girl he had been waiting for this whole time. He got up and walked towards me and said ' _I'm choosing love over my career_ '. So Daniel went to the washroom and threw away all the cheating material he was carrying. Then he came back and mouthed, ' _All the best_ to this random chic," Philip chuckled and looked around to see the amused faces grinning back at him. I too was smiling a tiny amused smile at his attempt to get us all to laugh despite the somber feeling that clouded the tiny hospital room.

"And I kid you not, he sat and passed idiotic smiles at this same girl throughout _the entire exam_! And then after, when he was going to find her, he saw that she'd gotten out of the building and was hugging some guy. We found out later that the guy was her boyfriend." My children and other grandchildren busted out laughing and against my will, tired giggles rose their way out of my lips as I shifted on the cot for the thousandth time. My hair was sticking to my sweaty neck despite the freezing temperatures that circulated the hospital. I knew my time was near, but I selfishly hung on- fingers fiddling with the IV that fed the numbing drug into my veins.

Over on the floor, Willow, Laura, Winona & Connie sat playing some new computer game that Quincy had brought with her. God bless that woman because, despite my amusement at my children and grandchildren's antics, I selfishly wanted to prevent them from getting any ideas.

And then the laughs died down as my shifting brought more attention than I thought it would. Apparently, my family was paying more attention to me than I had realized.

"Why'd you stop?" I managed to croak out, breathing haggardly through my nose. My chest ached with longing to hear them laugh again. That was the most important thing to me. I didn't want them to cry when I left, I wanted them to remember all the good times we'd shared together.

River smiled,"You okay, Ma?" he asked instead. Internally, I rolled my eyes in exasperation. I wasn't a piece of paper or a china doll. I wasn't breakable, so why did they insist on treating me like I was?

Teasingly, I flashed him the peace sign and struck a duck pose with my lips,

"Never better, my bug."

Quincy, who had been the strongest of everyone so far, finally sniffled as unshed tears began building up in her eyes. But before anyone else saw, she spun around to face the kids on the floor,

"Guys, come give Nana one more hug."

I looked at Orion then, signaling him with a jerk of my head in her direction that he should be comforting his wife instead of standing there like a dummy with his hands in his pockets and a sad frown on his face. And like always, the lazy man sighed as if I just told him to go do his chores. I smirked, it was nice to know that some things hadn't changed a bit.

"Grandma!" My youngest great-grandchild, Connie, sobbed as she rushed over to me. I weakly opened my wrinkly arms, inviting her in for a hug. I sighed as the familiar scent of peaches and watermelon enveloped my over-sensitive nose. Squeezing her as tight as possible, I gave as much as I got. I knew that as a great-grandma I wasn't supposed to have favorites- but Connie always had been. She was the one who had always come over on the weekends to bake apple pies with me and fetch my crochet and sewing needles wherever I had left them among the house in my forgetful state. She was the one who was the most gentle and reminded me of myself when I was her age. And with her lovely olive-toned cherub cheeks and unruly curls, it was not difficult to guess why else she was my favorite.

When she let me go, I rubbed away any evidence of her tears, smiling sadly at her from my spot on the bed. " Come on, Connie-bonnie! Remember what I always say?" I asked reverently. All my children, despite their saddened gazes, smiled despite themselves,

"Always keep smiling! Someone may be falling in love with you." They echoed.

My eyes bugged as they said it in perfect unison and for a moment I had to wonder if I had given birth to twins. That was freaky, weird.

"Bah! You know all my secrets now!" I laughed shortly, summoning the last of my strength to lean up and give Connie a kiss on her forehead as her momma came to pick her up in her arms. The little sprite cried out for a moment before burying her tear-stained face into her mother's shoulder.

Next were the twins, Winona and Willow- who each got a kiss and a hug before being ushered out by a distraught Leo. His tears could rival Connie's for Christ's sake! Not that I blamed him- I was awesome.

...and maybe slightly conceited- but meh!

And then Laura came, the only teen in the family currently, "Don't go, please Nana! Not yet." She cried, "We still haven't climbed Mount Everest together!"

I sighed a long sigh, brushing back her lovely brown hair and gently wiping away her tears with one of my famous quilted blankets (I made the best ones, you know.)

"Oh, hush now, love. You can still go with Uncle River and your mom when they go next year!" I assured her, my voice breaking with emotion. All of these tears were really breaking my heart.

Over in the corner, Andromeda tried to muffle her sobs in William's chest, not wanting her or her daughter to see her tears. Even Will's eyes seemed a bit shinier than usual. I was born, half of me wanted to stay while the other wanted to go. To get away from this world- to see the rest. To lie in peace without trouble and discover some of death's many secrets. I myself could say that I still kept a few and with shock, I realized that I would be carrying them to my grave.

Still,I strengthened my resolve and pushed her away. I didn't want her to see me go. I wanted her to remember me as the fun grandma that took her on hikes and bought her a puppy after she lost her pet Turtle.

"Come on now. It's time for you to go." I addressed her, tilting her chin up. "Chin up, be strong." Laura sniffed, but like the soldier, we all knew her to be- she nodded, straightened, and walked out of the room with William and one last teary glance at my still figure on the bed. I blew a kiss to her, mouthing the words, "I love you."

And then it was just Andy, Joseph, and River. They said nothing at first, mainly crying, trying not to, or hiding it so well it looked as though they were sweating.

"You sure are waiting for me to go, aren't ya?" In response, Andy chuckled weakly through her tears while Joseph and River merely smiled through their pain.

"Later on, my lawyer is supposed to come by to drop off some stuff at the house. I've already decided on everything but you guys can choose if you want to sell the house or.." I told them with a yawn.

"Yea, okay." River commented, leaning back heavily onto the uncomfortable hospital chairs that they provided.

I groaned quietly as I laid back, my spine cracking from misuse. When was the last time I had gotten up on my own and used the bathroom? I was way too used to shitting in a bedpan at this point. And when was the last time I made a quilt?

Andy rushed over, dropping her used tissue into the waste bin, "Oh, mom, are you okay?"

My wizened hands raised up to stop her care attack on my wellbeing, "I'm fine- it's just that my back hurts and I haven't felt my ass in a month!" I assured her with more than a touch of sass.

The boys both laughed shortly but then sobered once Andy shot them a furious glare.

"Lighten up Andromeda, it was a joke." I snorted and then winced infinitesimally when my chest ached and pressure began to build.

With a small roll of her eyes, a begrudging smile crawled its way up her mouth."Mommy?" She began, taking a seat on the bed beside me. "I know I didn't say it a lot, but I love you. We all do."

My eyes stung as I nodded shortly, seeing the true love and respect that each of my children " Take care of yourself, you hear? I'll be watching." I said instead. As I said this, I used my index and middle finger to point to my eyes before pointing it at each of them individually.

They all chuckled and I smiled once more- happy to have them laugh. Happy to see their smiles, however wet.

"Joseph, can't you tell me one last story? Make it funny though." I pouted at him through half-shut eyes. He chuckled with a raised hand to placate me. And as my other children began to focus on the tale he began to weave, my eyes shut of their own accord.

"Okay. Did I tell you guys about the time I went to that new cafe on Degrin Street?"

"Oh, I don't know- Only a hundred times!"

" I haven't heard it.."

"When do you ever hear anything, River?"

My lips twitched into one last smile as they bickered, feeling a cocoon of warmth travel from the very tips of my toes to the tippy top of my head. And then I was gone.

A blinding light eclipsed behind my eyelids and a deafening white noise resonated throughout my head- drowning out the last of my kid's voices.

The emptiness surrounded me and as overwhelming as it was- I'd never felt more at peace.

________________

**_At six fifty-two pm on August the third 2098, Genevieve Morten died._ **

**_Loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother passed on to a new beginning._ **

**_A new chapter in her life_ **

_If only they knew just how much a new chapter..._


	2. Death is Wet...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Realization finally hits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have married Robert Pattinson and been a millionaire!

**D** eath was wet. And Dark. Why? Why was everything so wet and dark? Wasn't death supposed to be empty? Peaceful?

Before I had a chance to question these abnormalities further, I felt something big and fingery grab on to my head. Kind of like tentacles. Worried, I cried out in fear as whatever had a hold of me, basically dragged me out into a bright light.

Was this heaven or hell? Where was I? Why was everything so friggin bright? And what was that smell? Blood?

"Aww my gosh, Charlie. Aren't they just cute?" The voices were loud, unwanted as I blinked through blurry eyes. A person, a woman, I deduced was leaning over me and smiling the largest smile that stretched to each ear.

They? Who the heck was Charlie? Who was this woman? Wasn't I supposed to be In Limbo or something? Someone needed to call God and tell him there was a wicked Glitch in the matrix!

A man I did not recognize, leaned over next- through my blurry vision I could just make out a slightly scruffy chin and warm brown eyes that looked slightly moistened- like he was crying.

"Absolutely Beautiful." The man croaked, " What are their names?"

My eyes widened as I came to a realization.

"Isabella Marie Swan," the woman pointed daintily over to my left side and then pointed to me, " and Elizabeth May Swan."

Oh, sweet baby Jesus......

"Our daughters." she finished with a teary, tired smile.

I was reborn.

And then I promptly burst into tears.

****

A few hours later and after a horrific experience of suckling from my new mother's breast - we don't talk about that...EVER- I had finally calmed down enough. I was thoroughly wiped down and placed in a too big a diaper with way too much powder. It made me sneeze, I always had a sensitive nose. We, as in my twin and I apparently, were placed in the nursery in a double incubator.

Curious as to what she looked like, Isabella that is, I turned my head and whined once I couldn't see properly. I relaxed and tried again. Turning as much as my puny, pudgy body allowed me, I looked through my eyes at a slightly larger baby than what I felt like. It could also be the fact that everything felt bigger now than I was this size. Call it baby intuition.

I involuntarily pouted as I studied her. Her skin was pinkish and looked smooth. Her cheeks were a soft, rosy red and big brown chocolate eyes that peered- well, right at me. Her chest rose and fell with each breath and for a heart-stopping moment, the rhythmic movement paused and my eyes widened comically in concern. And then she farted. I snorted out loud at that, I was too tired to laugh. I found myself counting each rise and fall of her chest, just to be sure she was okay, and found myself drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

We were in this together now. I nearly groaned once I realized that I'd have to go through puberty again.

My life sucked.

________

**_On September 13th, 1987, both Isabella Marie Swan and Elizabeth May Swan were born to Renée and Charlie Swan_.**

_**And so a new book began their lives.** _


	3. Divorces are Never Easy On Anyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some words are said

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have married Robert Pattinson and been a millionaire!
> 
> Time skip: Beth and Bella are now 10 months old.

**"C** ustody of Isabella and Elizabeth Swan is hereby given to Renée Dwyer." At those words, the glare that she shot her mother had intensified tenfold. And all because of what? Her lack of strength to be there for her husband while his parents' health took a decline? Her inability to care about anyone but herself? Beth could understand that Renee was suffering from Postpartum Depression, but what she couldn't understand is why she had such a lacking amount of empathy for the other person affected by her depression. She was taking her away from her dad. Her papa.

Charlie had been her first dad ever, really. In her past life, her 'father' (read sperm donor) had left as soon as he had the chance, leaving her mother behind with Genevieve. From what her mother had told her, he was a deadbeat dad who only wanted one thing, and when he'd gotten it- he up and left. And with her mother being so young when she had Genevieve, she'd struggled as a single mother, and most times- she had to be raising her mother rather than the other way around. And now, Renée was the one taking her father away in a strange twist of fate. Was she not meant to have a father figure? Was it just a coincidence that she would lose both fathers in both lives? Or was it planned? Who was going to help Renee raise them? Elizabeth could not even begin to imagine how Renee was going to manage with twins.

Charlie was sitting quietly in his seat, unmoving as the words left the judges mouth. Beth watched with saddened eyes as he stood, head bowed as he was escorted out of the courtroom with his lawyer. The sadness and grief that radiated around him were almost tangible. It was easy to see that this was not what he had wanted the outcome to be. But he had no choice- he couldn't raise twins, go to work and take care of his parents all at once. And despite everything, his wife was divorcing him because she felt trapped in Forks. It almost seemed as though he couldn't get a break.

Elizabeth wanted to follow him, go with him. Not her mother. She struggled in her grandmother's arms, squirming around. She felt a sudden smack on her bum and froze. Turning back around, she looked at the glowering, wrinkly face of her granny and scowled. That woman had had it out for her for the longest while it seemed. It was easy to see that Renee's mother had a favorite of the twins- Isabella- and Elizabeth could not begin to guess what she had done to the old woman to spite her.

'Let me go!' She wanted to scream, but all that came out was a frustrated yell of garbled foolishness known as baby-talk.

"Hush, Elizabeth." Her granny scolded her. Beth wanted to kick her so badly.

Before she could, a whimper came from beside her. It was Isabella sitting in her car seat beside them. She had awoken from her nap and made that noise as if to berate the two for it. Isabella had been somewhat of a mediator when it came to their grandmother's and Beth's strained relationship. Immediately Beth quieted down, settling for glaring at the oblivious woman holding her, not wanting to disturb her twin any longer.

"Okay, I have the documents. We can go now." Renée had come over, looking ages older than the twenty-one-year-old she actually was. But, truthfully, Beth could easily tell that divorcing the love of your life was no easy task. Still, it didn't stop her from snarling at her. Or at least, she tried to, but once more it failed and made it look like she was constipated.

"Aww, my sweeties." The single mother cooed to them, tickling the twins. Isabella gurgled a laugh while Beth grabbed her mother's hand and pushed it away from her. Her eyebrows crinkled together in frustration as her mother instead fixed her attention to her mother after throwing Eliza a saddened glance. "Dada." Beth gurgled frustratedly. The two adults immediately stopped talking and looked down at her.

"Say that again, honey?" Renée kneeled in front of her. She was obviously shocked.

"Dada!" She screamed, tears coming to her eyes. Renée blinked stupidly before plucking her from her grandmother's arms.

Beth cursed her baby emotions, they were so strong. Every single emotion had two physical responses, cry and laugh. Because she was frustrated now, she cried. She missed her old hold on her emotions and prayed that this would end soon. But knowing the natural way of life- it wouldn't end until she had finished puberty.

Renée stood up and walked out the doors of the courtroom. Beth cried, partly from relief of her mother's understanding and partly because she wanted to go to her dad so much. Looking over Renee's shoulder, she caught sight of the old bat carrying Bella's seat her wrinkly face fixed with a scowl, as she followed her daughter and granddaughter reluctantly.

Childishly, Beth stuck her tongue out at her granny and was satisfied by the startled expression that appeared on the elder woman's face. Looking ahead again, she caught sight of Charlie leant against a wall with his tie askew and his hand pinching the bridge of his nose. His face was flushed as if he had been crying and Beth's tears picked up speed. Why? Why was her mother separating them?

"Dada!" She cried out and Charlie's head shot up in surprise. His eyes were bloodshot and the very tip of his nose was a bright red and swollen. He had been crying. He sniffed and held out his hands as Beth did the same. He all but grabbed his daughter from their mother's hands and held her tightly. Beth couldn't feel anything but pure love and adoration and pride from his hug. She clutched his dress shirt in a death grip with her pudgy hands. Neither party ever wanted to let go. Renée watched the scene with a sad smile. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn't stay in Forks. She didn't want to get stuck there. She wanted to travel. Experience different cultures and view the world herself. And Renée knew she couldn't do that in Forks, tied down to the dreary town by marriage. She was nearly twenty-two for God's sake and already had twins!

A soft cry a few feet behind them had Renée turning and letting the father and daughter have a moment. She took Isabella from her mother's arms and hushed her, holding her for the time being. It was almost as if the twins knew what was going on. Like they had some level of comprehension of the weight of what the judge had declared just five minutes prior. But it couldn't be, they were babies!

Elizabeth hugged her dad like it was the last time. Which it was, in a way. The last time that she would see him for a few years. She would miss how he'd make airplane noises to get her and Bella to eat and how he'd tickle her when she calmed down from a temper tantrum. Gosh, there were plenty of those times. But most of all, she'd miss his hugs.

"Dada..." She garbled through hiccups.

He hushed her, rubbing her tiny back soothingly with his huge hands. "I know, it's okay," Charlie whispered to her.

"Everything will be fine."


	4. The Clumsy Tumble at the Dance Recital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have married Robert Pattinson and been a millionaire!
> 
> Timeskip: Isabella and Elizabeth are now seven years old.

**T** he spotlight was blinding, just enough so that no one on stage could see past the light and into the darkness beyond. Elizabeth twisted and turned elegantly in time with the music. Who knew, the numerous painful classes had a purpose after all. After several hundred dollars, bruised toes, frequent hospital visits and four pairs of ballet shoes, the twins had finally come to the end of the summer dancing program that Renee had enrolled them into. She'd been doing it a lot lately. Always getting them involved in all sorts of things that kept their mind preoccupied and their hands busy. Renee had told them it was to see what peaked their interests and get them to socialize more and Bella - the ever faithful and naive twin- had certainly believed every word of it. But Beth knew better. After seeing the signs in her last mother and doing it herself for a time in her last life, she knew that Renee was seeing someone. Her mother was finally dating again, in secret.

Elizabeth knew that she shouldn't harbor any hatred towards her mother but couldn't help but feel the anger that built up in her chest when she heard Renee sneak out of the house after she put the twins to bed only to go and sit in some strangers car in their driveway for however many hours. Why? Why couldn't her mother have been satisfied with the man she married first who probably still loved her even to this day?

Regardless, there she was, dancing under the too-bright light, blind to the adoring faces of the audience. And we all know, wherever Elizabeth was, Isabella was most likely present as well.

The clumsy girl copied the movements drilled into her mind several times before this and tried desperately to keep up with her twin who outshined her so perfectly in almost everything.

On one specific turn, Bella had managed to move closer to Elizabeth. Too close and as a result, caused her graceful twin to falter and trip. Elizabeth's serene expression turned into one of horror as she felt her body tumbling onto the wooden stage. A thump sounded and then several gasps from the stunned crowd followed. The beautiful music paused as the girls stopped mid-way on their pirouettes to go check on their fallen ballerina and friend.

Elizabeth laid there for a moment, exasperated and frustrated. This wasn't a new occurrence. Being the twin of a clumsy sister, it was bound to happen at times. Now was one of the times Beth wished it didn't happen- in front of a hundred parents and at their first recital. Elizabeth huffed and pushed several concerned girls away from her. Her only focus was on her twin, Bella, who after seeing that she was alright- stumbled away and off the stage. Elizabeth followed, ignoring her mother's concerned voice calling after them.

"Bella! Bella? Beth? Elizabeth?"

She ran through the wing, searching and hoping to find Isabella. She was a fragile thing, that one. Elizabeth always had to make sure she was alright but she didn't mind. Being the youngest, one would think the elder twin would look after her but it was vice versa in this instance. In this life.

"Bella!" She called out, turning around this way and that.

A distant sound of a door locking caught her attention and she ran to it, paying no mind to anything else but finding her twin. Her tutu blocked her hands from resting at her side comfortably and Beth wanted to tear the thing off her body but held back knowing her mother would disapprove. They weren't rich and Liz didn't want a torn tutu to burden her mother. The seven-year-old came upon a closed supply closet and upon leaning her ear against the door, could vaguely hear her sister's frustrated sobs. Sighing, she turned the knob and peeked inside. Bella was there, sitting down with her knees drawn up close to her chest and her head buried in her arms.

"Bella?" Elizabeth walked in further. Bella's sobs quieted as she recognized her sister's voice.

"I'm sorry for making you fall." She cried, her voice slightly hoarse.

Elizabeth sighed and put her hand on her sister's shoulder, "It's okay, Bella. It happens." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Bella peaked at her sister in disbelief, "But I ruined everything."

Elizabeth's eyes hardened, " No you didn't. You were just being Bella." At that, Isabella ducked her head.

"No," Elizabeth paused as she realized how that sounded, " I mean, you were just being you. You can't pretend to be someone you're not. You have to be yourself. I don't care if you trip and fall, Bella. I won't laugh- I'll help you back up- I promise."

Bella looked up at her sister with tearful eyes,

"Really?"

Elizabeth hummed in agreement as she stood up. Exaggerating a move, she purposely tripped herself and landed on the floor with a theatrical moan. Bella giggled at her sister before helping her up. The two took no notice of their mother filming the entire thing on her tiny video camera.

Elizabeth loathed them, in fact, she hated all the outdated electronics. Being reborn in a totally different time era definitely did not help matters at all. After all, she as Genevieve had grown up around touch screens pretty much all her young adult life and then had to get used to those tricky holographic screens later on.

Once the twins stood up and brushed each other off, they smiled simultaneously and turned to go outside- spotting a guilty culprit.

" _Mom_!"

" _Mommy_!"

"What?"


	5. Tell me, Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have married Robert Pattinson and been a millionaire!

**"B** ut why?" Beth fumed. She glared, unrelenting in her anger as Renee continued to clumsily fold out clothes, ignoring her child.

"Mom!"

"What, Beth?" Renee was getting tired of this. This had been a recurring question for the past two and a half years once Charlie had stopped coming to visit them in Phoenix. She could understand why that was, he was recently promoted to Chief of Police in Forks. He had bigger responsibilities with his work life and personal life taking a new turn. Not to mention, his parents weren't getting any younger. So it was definitely easier if the girls went to visit him instead. The only problem was that they could only go on their holidays which was maybe 5 months out of the 12 they had in a year and even then- didn't always get to visit him. After all, plane tickets from Arizona to Seattle were beginning to get pretty pricey.

Still, Renee sighed, the girls loved their father and missed him desperately, it was easy to see. Especially in Beth's case, who hung on to her father like a leech to a leg whenever they saw him. Times like these were when Renee regretted her decision of moving away from Forks. Sometimes, the thought of moving back had run through her mind, if only to make her girls happy when it was plain as day to see that they weren't.

And after this particular visit, it was even worse. A tearful goodbye from Beth had left both Charlie and Renee worse for wear. That child definitely knew that she made them feel insane guilt- even if it was mainly resting on her shoulders.

"You know what!" Beth's fists clenched. She had the urge to stomp her foot like a child, but knowing that would not get her point across any better, she refrained. "Why won't you just let me go and stay with dad? It's not like it'll hurt anyone!"

That was it! Renee threw down a shirt with a frown, spinning on her heel to address her youngest with what she hoped was a stern voice, "I don't have to explain myself to you. If I say no, I mean it. End of story!"

"But why?!" Beth yelled out, her normally pale complexion sprouting blotches of red over her face as she got worked up. She could not understand her mother's motives for keeping her locked up in Phoenix like they were in some twisted fairy tale. Why couldn't she move to Washington with her dad? She could be responsible and help take care of her grandpa and grandma! Or even do more chores around the house to help Charlie with the load he was bearing. Heck, she was even doing 90% of that already with Renee who- despite being an adult- was acting like some headstrong teenager half the time she was paying attention to them. "That still doesn't tell me why!"

Renee's hands came to a stop on her hips as she took one step closer," That is enough, Elizabeth!"

Frustrated tears built up in the thirteen-year-old's eyes as she glared harshly up at her mother. A lump formed in her throat but she wouldn't cry! Not in front of her mother or Bella- who she knew was watching everything from the top of the stairs.

"Whatever," Beth finally spat, sniffing as she spun on her heel, "You're just bitter because Greg broke up with you yesterday! You can't be happy so you want to bring everyone else down too!"

At that Renee faltered, hands slowly falling to her sides as her daughter's words wrang in her ears. She flinched, hearing their front door slam as Beth walked out of the house in a flurry, unknowingly opening up fresh wounds that her mother had tried so desperately to hide. Renee sobbed, arms coming to wrap around her frame as she sank to the floor. Had she failed? Had she failed them as a mother? She couldn't have! But why? Why did she feel like such a failure? Why did it feel so painful every time she had to pick her girls up from the airport? Why else would her daughter's words hurt her so badly if it weren't so painfully true? Why did it feel like she was being punished? Her chest ached, thinking back to her own harsh words that she'd said to her mother after Beth and her had a bad argument, leading Renee to cut off all ties- only to hear that her mother had died some days later. It hurt, thinking of all the things she'd never said or asked before it was too late. So she cried, sobbing loudly, uncaring of their neighbors, and completely forgetting about her other child, Bella, who had watched and listened to everything with a pained gaze- unable to do anything more than that.

She understood that Beth was upset about not being able to stay with Charlie, she really did. But why did she have to say those things to their mother? What was she hoping to achieve by hurting her? It was so painful to watch her usually optimistic and bubbly mother deteriorate before her very eyes, breaking down to a fragile shell that exposed all of her true feelings- her tears washing away the facade that she painted by hand for years and years. Deciding it was better to leave her mother alone, Bella picked herself up from the wooden stairs, tiptoeing her way out of the house. Of course, Renee was too preoccupied with herself to notice that her other daughter had snuck out as well.

The cool air bit at her skin just as much as the gravel pricked at her bare feet. Bella winced, arms wrapping around herself as she looked every which way for her twin, definitely regretting not having taken a light jacket or shoes when she left. Granted, she hadn't been thinking clearly, her mind focused on finding her twin to go and help her cheer their mother up. Bella knew it wouldn't be that easy of course, her twin was insanely stubborn- even more so than her and Renee combined and that was saying something! So she'd have to go in with a plan, bring out the big guns, and pull a card she didn't normally use. Pity.

She just hoped her twin wouldn't pick up on her sneaky act and decided to stay with her and Renee anyways.

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as she tripped over something in true Bella style. A yelp lept from her throat as she tumbled to the ground, bucking her toe, scraping her hands, and hitting her head all at once.

"What the f- Bella?!" A groan caught her attention, leaning up from her position on the floor. Her twin -evidently the thing she tripped on was lying on her side, legs entangled with her own. "How in the world do you manage to do this?"

"Sorry!" Bella apologized, carefully untangling their feet before standing up. Beth huffed as she took her sister's helping hand, brushing off both her and Bella's now dusty clothes. It was then that she spied her sibling's lack of footwear.

"And where are your shoes?"

Bella tossed her sister a sheepish smile," I left them inside."

Eliza sighed with exasperation apparent on her face, before reaching down and plucking one of her slippers off of her feet. She handed it to her sister and upon seeing her confused face, explained, "One shoe is better than none." She shrugged before gesturing to the bench that they had built -quite crappily- some summers before. It was a spur-of-the-moment build, after not having any money to buy patio chairs for their (rather a cliche) lemonade stand in the barren desert. It had been a stupid idea but at that moment, it couldn't have been better. They had been so excited at the prospect of earning money for some cool game that everyone their age had been buying at the time, that they hadn't given much thought to the location of their house and the fact that they only had one other neighbor within a mile. Still, that didn't stop the twins from sitting outside in the scalding Arizona sun yelling out ' 30 cents for lemonade' every five minutes. Beth shook her head, it was so dumb. But at least they recycled the old wood they had found in their attic and built the tiny bench, despite the fact that every time they sat in it, Bella or Beth had always managed to score a splinter in their palms from holding onto the sides to keep from falling off.

"I know that you want to say something, Bells," Liza spoke then, gazing up at the waning crescent moon that cast an almost eerie glow onto the sands of the desert. All around them, the sounds of crickets and wildlife alike, chirped and howled.

Isabella sighed, "I know that you want to go stay in Forks, Beth, I'm not stupid." Her fingers began fiddling with a loose string, "And I know that it's because you miss dad a lot- I do too, you know?"

Eliza glanced over at her sister, acknowledging her. "Really? You don't show it."

Bella rolled her eyes, " Yes, really. He's my dad too."

"But have you ever thought that the reason mom doesn't want you to go is that he's too busy? Or that she'll miss you too much?"

"Of course I have!" Eliza snapped, then calmed. Her sister was not arguing with her. They were just having a simple conversation. No yelling or shouting was necessary. "Sorry. I just- I miss him alot. Don't you find it unfair that mom just took us away from him without a say from anybody else? It feels like she's running from something and because we're her kids she stole us away from being a happy family. I just want to know what it feels like to have a family that isn't dysfunctional. I want to be able to see dad every day. I want him to take me fishing with him and do all sorts of stuff together. Is that too much to ask?"

Bella watched her twin sadly, "I want that too, just minus the fishing stuff." They laughed shortly, both imagining Bella in one of Charlie's fishing boats. Already, there had been an incident involving a broken wrist and a fishing rod so nobody in the family desired to see Bella ever get into another boat again. Sobering Bella continued, "And me too Beth. Have you thought about me?"

Eliza sighed, already knowing where this was going.

"I don't have anyone else except you and mom. Everyone always makes fun of me when you're not around- just imagine the kind of torture I'd be subjected to if you moved all the way to Forks!"

Elizabeth nodded, knowing that her twin was right. She had been bullied, made a social pariah by some pretty mean people for no good reason. Eliza heard when they called Bella a freak, and despite telling teachers, her mother and even dealing with it herself (read getting suspended for breaking someone's nose) Isabella had still been bullied and brought down. Beth wasn't blind, she could see that the mean remarks were getting to her sister but why did it seem almost impossible for her to grow a backbone and defend herself? Why did she sit and take it all like a punching bag? "But why do you let them get to you, Bella? Why don't you fight back?"

Bella was quiet then, pandering on her thoughts. "Has it ever occurred to you that I just don't know how?" She admitted, shoulders drooping at her confession. "I mean, why should I? I don't want to be like them. I don't want to bully anybody. Why can't everybody else just be nicer?"

Eliza shook her head sadly, "You misunderstand Bella. I'm not telling you to bully anyone. I'm telling you that you need to stop being a pushover and finally take charge of the situation. Otherwise, people will always view you as a doormat and you'll always be walked on."

"The point still stands, Beth, I don't know how!"

"Then let me teach you." Elizabeth burst out, jumping from her spot on the bench. "We'll make a deal, I won't leave Phoenix if you agree to let me teach you!"

Bella looked at her sister warily, unsure if this was the right way to go about getting her to stay. But then finally, she agreed, "Okay."

She stood as well, "Can you please apologize to mom, though? She was crying pretty hard when I left and I think you really hurt her feelings."

Elizabeth winced, rocking back on her heels, "Yea, I was pretty hard on her, wasn't I?"

Isabella snorted, "You think?"


	6. Spoons, Sporks, Knives & Forks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have married Robert Pattinson and been a millionaire!
> 
> Timeskip: Isabella and Elizabeth are now seventeen.

**T** he heat of the blazing sun beat down relentlessly on pale cheeks. Warm brown eyes squinted underneath half-shut eyes, a palm over her forehead as she gazed at her many, many succulents. After three years of successful growth, she was leaving them in the capable hands' of her mother- who even now didn't know when or how to water them. So this was her goodbye. She knew, undoubtedly that the minute she left, they'd be down and dead in the baking desert of Phoenix, Arizona- not a drop of water available. The corners of her mouth pulled down as her mind dwelled on what would happen to them as they succumbed to the never-ending heat. Why did Forks have to be so cloudy all the time? Sighing, Beth's head flopped back, hand falling to her side as she reasoned that the death of her succulents was the con to moving in with her dad. But it didn't hurt any less. They were like her children, her babies.

Still, she begrudgingly admitted that the loss of her plants wouldn't be so bad. After all, she was gaining more time to spend with Charlie! Goodness, it had been too long since the twins had seen him. Two years long, in fact. Not that Bella minded all too much. She hated Forks with a burning passion, despite the fact that her father and grandparents still lived there. Nobody could get her to enjoy the tall trees and gloomy weather. Beth on the other hand, loved it. The weather was the perfect kind to sit at a window and read a book at, accompanied by knitted sweaters and a warm cup of coffee or tea. The twins were polar opposites like that, one preferring the dry, sweat-inducing heat while the other lived for the cold and cozy. For Bella, it was self-inflicted torture, but for Beth it was heaven. And the perfect opportunity to begin knitting again. Gosh, Beth hadn't stitched or quilted in over seventeen years! That was a long time for someone who used to be a great-grandma- even now, her fingers itched to get a grasp on some knitting needles. It was going to be one of her first purchases once she got to Forks. Granted, she'd have to come with an excuse when Bella and her dad inevitably asked where and when she'd learned the skill. Renee was too easily distracted to be able to sit and stitch anything, as proved when she had tried herself a few years back.

Elizabeth let go of the gardening shovel she held in her hand, head coming to its natural position as she turned away lest she actually attempts to take one of her children with her. Sniffing once, she finally and reluctantly turned her back on them and started towards the house. She was going to have to let them go eventually. It was better then than never.

As she walked, she noticed Bella was outside talking with some of those prissy, popular people who had claimed that they were friends of the twins. Elizabeth scoffed, thinking back to all the times they didn't defend Bella against her bullies when she wasn't around. Back then anyways. Bella was now a (semi) capable individual with a reasonable backbone. She hadn't physically fought back against her bullies like Beth had taught her- rather taking the high road in walking away from the petty people who couldn't stand the fact that Bella was way more attractive than them. A bitter taste developed in Beth's mouth, just thinking of them, the fakes that they were. Fortunately, the conversation the two blonde's had been having with Bella had ended as they sped away in their shiny, red Toyota. Good riddance, Beth had thanked whatever high being was above the ceiling.

Her sister's foot seemingly caught in mid-air then, stumbling toward the hard concrete of the sidewalk. Hurrying over, Beth caught her just in time.

"Woah!" Beth steadied Bella quickly, "You okay?"

Blushing, Bella nodded and looked down the road where their 'friends' sped away. Upon seeing her frown, Elizabeth threw an arm over her sister's shoulder, " We won't miss them. We won't miss anything from here except mom, the plants, and Phil."

Bella nodded, "The sun too."

Elizabeth giggled, her sister was such a lizard. No, not cold-blooded. Rather a sun baby, basking in the rich vitamin D for hours on end despite her pale pallor. And because of Forks' ever gloomy weather and Bella's clumsiness, she was bound to have a lot of accidents like the one that just happened, accompanying her misery. Their stay in Forks was bound to be clouded by a lot of expensive hospital bills. Their dad would have a field day, frantically running around and making sure that Bella was okay all the time. Elizabeth smirked, she could just see it now.

Before either could remedy the silence that hung in the air, Renée walked out from the house with a frustrated expression. "It won't work again, baby." She complained to Bella, tossing her the troublesome phone. Bella was the tech-savvy one of the two because of Beth's major dislike for this time era's technology. It was too slow for her taste, unlike the devices in her old life.

"That's because you put it on hold." Bella turned the phone to show their mother. She was hopeless.

Renée's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief, " Really?"

"Yeah, and you also called Brazil." Beth teased as she leaned over to inspect the tiny flip phone. She sighed inwardly, oh how she missed the holographic phones. Renée playfully shoved Elizabeth in revenge as the three girls laughed.

" I'll figure it out. You two gotta be able to reach me and Phil on the road," the thirty-nine-year-old woman got a dazed look in her eye, " - I love saying that - _on the road_."

The twins rolled their eyes with small grins on their faces,

"Very romantic," Bella commented.

That was when Phil decided to make an entrance into the conversation. The baseball player practically tumbled down the porch steps with at least six suitcases in hand,

"Yeah, if you call backwater towns and cheap stadium food romantic."

Beth chuckled, "Oh, yeah. Rose petals and candles are _so_ old school."

Renée rolled her eyes, grinning despite herself. "Are you sure you guys wanna go?" The grin faltered into a sad smile and Beth found herself wanting to drag her hair out of her skull. This was the hundredth time that their mother had asked the question. And to be honest, if she asked once more, Beth would surely go insane. Bella and she shared a look that plainly said 'here we go..'.

"Mom, we're sure." Bella started.

"Like absolutely positively sure like never before." Beth completed the thought. They had been doing that a lot lately too. Talking in sync seemed so natural, so flawless. It was weird too for Elizabeth who'd been an only child in her past life, only to be reborn and suddenly have a twin sister. It was almost as though they were entwined. Like they each knew each other so well that it was easy to know what the other was about to say.

Renée rolled her eyes once more, exasperated, "...If you say so."

"We do," Bella reassured her for the last time.

"Listen, I love you guys a lot, but we have a plane to catch!" Phil piped up from his spot in the driver's seat of an old station wagon. As if in agreement, the car's aged engine sprung to life and Beth swore she saw the wheels move off in warning.

"Hold your horses!" Beth ran off to join the baseball player. She hadn't even remembered that they were behind schedule. The plane to Forks was going to leave soon and come hell or high water, Beth would make sure that Bella and she would be on it with or without their luggage. She practically skipped over to the passenger's side, she couldn't wait to see her dad!

"Dad!" Beth called as soon as she caught sight of the awkward police officer leaning against his blue cruiser, and in a bold white font, the word 'Police' could be seen from a mile away. Uncaring of what other people would think, she practically sprinted the remaining distance, abandoning her suitcases half-way. The middle-aged man barely had any time to open his arms before Beth had barrelled herself into him. Beth's arms tightened around his frame, stuffing her face into the fabric of his uniform. His comforting scent of pine needles and peach cobbler surrounded her. She held on for a few more moments, feeling his chin come to rest on her head for a split second before he grunted, his safe embrace loosening.

" Ease up, Beth. I want to actually have a Dad to hug too, you know." Bella teased lightly as she struggled with the six bags. She was practically dragging herself across the floor of the tiny airport. People who were coming and going passed her and her family, only tossing her weird glances as she tried to close the distance between her twin and parent.

Pulling away, she moved off to help Bella with the heavy bags as the two finally embraced, rather awkwardly.

"Hi Ch- Dad." Bella hugged him briefly. The old man grunted his greetings before moving to take the heavy luggage. Beth watched the two with a grimace. They could be so alike sometimes, what with their ability to hide their true feelings from the rest of the world. And so awkward. Sometimes it was so bad that she had the urge to bang her head repeatedly against the nearest wall. It was endearing to see them together but _God_ , it was painful.

After deciding on the seating arrangements they were off. Bella rode shotgun because she had pulled the eldest sibling card on her and Beth was left to sit in the back, slightly peeved but contented nonetheless. It had been Bella's idea to come down here after all and It mattered less to her now that she was here, in Forks, and was staying until high school was finished.

Charlie cleared his throat, "So, you guys look different."

Bella nodded, touching her hair "Yea, we cut our hair."

"Phoenix is too hot not to," Beth added from her spot in the back. It was true. Phoenix heat could rival the freaking Sahara (an over-exaggeration on her part, she'd been to the Sahara as Gen and it was ten times worse).

"Oh." The awkward silence was tangible in the cruiser as they drove along.

Deciding to tune out any further conversation, Beth took out her phone and earphones to listen to music. Her eyes strayed to her right as she took in those tall trees she loved to look up at. Her lips quirked upwards, reminded of the last time she'd been here, curled under the pine trees with her favorite book. A calmness had taken over her mind, feeling truly peaceful and happy since she had died.

Back in 2098, it was so rare to catch sight of thick dense forests like the ones in Washington- overpopulation, wildfires, and lack of care for the environment had killed them all. But now in this life, she marveled at them, gazing up at the trees with a child-like wonder every time she caught sight of the gentle, green giants.

The familiar old, white, three-bedroom house came into view as Charlie pulled into the driveway, his brakes squealing as the car came to a stop in the mud. Nestled between the edges of two forests, it had never looked more inviting than then. Charlie had invested in it before the twins were born, back when Renee and he were still married. Apart from the stripping paint, evidently nothing much had changed in the last four years since they'd been there.

Beth didn't mind the slightest bit. But of course, Bella was- as expected- sad and miserable. Beth couldn't see what was so bad about Forks, or at least the things Bella thought was wrong with it. Forks were so slow, in terms of pace, paling greatly in comparison to Arizona. It was quiet, a lovely change from the constant horns and cuss words that flew out of the mouths of angry drivers on the highway they lived next to. The sounds of nature were pretty much the only sounds here and it was heavenly.

"I didn't really get to fix up your rooms much. Just some small changes like the bedspread and some furniture." Charlie admitted sheepishly as he helped to carry their bags up the stairs . Work had been particularly hectic in the months closer to the girls' arrival as news of strange animal attacks traveled throughout the state and nearby Oregon. So obviously, he hadn't been able to get as much time off as he wanted to get their rooms looking more like teenagers' rooms.

"It's okay," Beth assured him, she didn't mind if she had to do some decorating. She loved designing and renovating and she'd bet good money that her twin would let her do her own room too. It was a hobby that she'd taken from her past as well as knitting, among many others.

Bella nodded along, quietly moving to her room and shutting the door tightly afterward. Charlie stood in the hallway with the last twin, looking slightly out of place in his own house. It was almost like he didn't know what to do with himself now that he wasn't the only person living in the house. Should he check up on Bella?

Beth rolled her eyes playfully at his behavior, " It's fine, dad. Bells is probably really tired from the flight. She'll be fine by tomorrow."

Charlie breathed a tired sigh, and nodded, "Okay. I gotta get back to work but there's money on the fridge for pizza or something..." He trailed off. He took a hesitant step to the stairway as if worried that Beth wasn't being totally honest but soon left afterward.

Breathing in, the musky scent that came with men and the smell of old books reached her nose. She relaxed, feeling years' worth of tension leave her body. Finally, she felt a sense of belonging. She belonged here, it just- it felt right. And her fingers were still itching to get working on a quilt.

But first, she had to get settled and then check on Bella. Pushing open her room door, she was met with a familiarity that only came with home and contentment. Her bed was pushed to the farthest corner from the door, between two walls accompanied by a tiny wooden bedside table.. A matching white, wooden desk, her floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, and a chest of drawers sat opposite the bed. She knew that the doors to her right led to a tiny, shared bathroom and a closet- if you could call it that. The walls were painted a deep blue with white lace curtains on the window beside the bed.

She remembered when she had roped Charlie and Bella into helping her paint the room the last time they had been here. It had been quite funny when Bella had accidentally tipped over the full bucket of paint which their dad had slipped in right after. Her twin had to have gotten her clumsiness from someone and that someone was most definitely Charlie. Thankfully, the paint on the floor had been easy to remove, but the same couldn't be said for the paint that stuck onto their dad's clothes and hair. He'd gone to work the next day with blue flecks of paint stuck in random places at the back of his head. He'd asked them if he had gotten it all out, but Beth had lied - against Bella's wishes- and he'd gone to work. When he came home, his face was as red as a tomato after being teased relentlessly at the station for being part smurf, the colors clashing quite badly.

Posters of her old favorite bands lined the wall beside the door. A world map hung on one of the walls the bed was touching. It was decorated with bright red push pins and elastic bands signifying the places she wanted to travel in this life. Heaving her suitcases onto the bed, she flopped back and spread eagle on the remaining space. Her old glow in the dark stars on her ceiling greeted her eyes before she resolved to get up and comfort Bella. Afterward, she'd have to come in and unpack, maybe even rearrange some things.

Groaning, she scraped herself off the comfortable mattress like a stubborn piece of meat on a hot grill and headed to her twin across the hall. Quiet sobs could be heard through Bella's door and Beth's heart ached to hear the sound. She hated hearing her twin in pain. Especially when this could have been avoided if Bella had just agreed to go with Renee. Nothing bad would have come of it if she had. In fact, Beth was certain she would have enjoyed traveling with their mother. But shaking her head, she was brought back into reality. She'd noticed that Bella was always the one who wanted to please everyone but herself, sacrificing her happiness for that of others. Beth couldn't stand when Bella did it to herself. Elizabeth knocked quietly, hearing the sobs come to an abrupt stop.

"Yes?" Bella's voice cracked as she tried to hide the fact that she'd been crying.

"It's me. Can I come in?"

There was some shuffling on the other side of the door before it creaked open, exposing the bedraggled and tear-streaked face of Bella. Beth wordlessly opened her arms and Bella practically stumbled into them, her sobs beginning again as she sunk into the comfort of her younger siblings' arms.

"It's not fair." Bella sobbed. And against Beth's will, tears started gathering in her own eyes at her twin's sadness- they shared it. Her sadness radiated between them, coating their beings as they remained standing in the doorway.

"Everyone is happy except me and I just- It sucks."

Beth hushed her, rubbing Bella's back soothingly. The two stumbled into the eldest twin's room and fell onto the bed, holding each other together.

"It's okay. You can be happy here," Beth croaked. "We can make new friends and start over- maybe even get you a date." She joked. Despite her sadness, Bella laughed shortly and snuggled more into her twin. It had always been like this, even though Bella was older. Beth was the one that took care of her while Bella took care of their mother. It was a cycle that they had gotten used to over many years.

"Do you want to get pizza?" Liz offered as she pulled away a few minutes later.

Bella's eyebrows scrunched up in thought and eventually nodded her consent. She was getting hungry now that she thought about it.

"You can choose the toppings if you want?" Elizabeth offered, mumbling into her hair as her hands rubbed her sister's back in circles.

"Sure." The thought of drowning her sorrows in gooey cheese and mushrooms on toasted bread sounded really good right then.


	7. What in the God of Thunder is that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have made Bella make more wise decisions!

**" _O_** _h my goodness!_ " A voice called from within, shrill and old. "Geoffrey, get off your fat ass, _they're here_!"

"Calm down woman." Called a slightly less enthusiastic voice, throaty in nature.

Amused, Beth tossed a look towards an already grinning Bella- Charlie lagging behind as he locked the squad car. Walking up to the tiny greenhouse, Elizabeth smiled as the mesh door was thrown open with a surprising amount of force, slamming loudly against the back wall as a petite body with a head full of white hair rushed as fast as it could towards her.

"Gran!" Elizabeth laughed, hugging the old woman with as much strength as she did, knowing that if she didn't, Grandma Helen would be complaining for the next half hour about how her son had raised a child that didn't know how to give proper hugs. A loud huff next to her indicated that Bella had also been brought into the hug, whether unwillingly or willingly. After a minute of solid hugging, Grandma Helen let her two grandbabies go, smiling a toothy grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Oh! Look at how skinny you've gotten, Bella!" Sniggering, Elizabeth had to laugh. Of course that's the first thing that their grandmother would notice. Like any grandma would, she'd want to ensure that her grandchildren were in the best shape possible. Bella threw her sister a disgruntled look over her shoulder, hearing Beth's laughter being smothered by her hand.

And then Grandma Helen's eyes drifted over to Elizabeth's form, widening the slightest bit, "Elizabeth, dear. You might need to give Bella some tips!" Now it was Charlie's and Bella's turn to chuckle.

"It's good to see you, girls, again. Charlie wouldn't stop talking about you and how excited he was that you'd decided to come down and stay with him," their Grandad said, his hands coming to a rest at his side.

Before them all, Charlie's cheeks started to burn, "thanks, dad." His hand scratched at the back of his neck.

"And don't even get me started on _her_." His white-haired wife delivered a sound 'smack' onto his beer belly for that comment.

"So what have you girl's been up to for the past three years since we saw you last? Started any sports? Meet any cute boys?" Grandma Helen was on them as soon as they got the girls inside for some lunch, Charlie and Grandpa Geof off in the kitchen talking in hushed tones too soft for the women to hear.

At this question, Bella and Beth both blanched even paler than their already pale skin tone. Boys were something of a 'pick and choose' thing back in Phoenix, being such douches the only thing they could think with was their dicks or just playing with you until you gave up the one thing they were after. Obviously, no one had caught the twins' eyes, but it never did stop them from trying to ask them out. And sometimes, poor Bella never had the heart to say no, only stuttering and blushing like a tomato until Beth came to her rescue. And when they did ask Beth, she'd normally throw them a rather rude gesture and be on her way, rather finding her solitude more comforting than a five-minute make-out session behind the bleachers.

"Uhm," Bella began, "no, not much to say about either of those things."

"Honesty gran, it's been pretty boring since you saw us. Apart from mom marrying Phil last year, nothing much has really happened." And that was true, apart from that, life had just been pretty quiet for the two, nothing truly riveting nor exciting happening.

At this, the white-haired woman raised a curious brow, "So Renee remarried, did she?"

Beth's eyes shot a glance at her dad, wondering if he had told Gran about Phil. But judging by the way her lips pursed in displeasure, it was safe to assume he hadn't. But why not?

"Yeah," Bella confirmed, still not getting the hint, "He plays minor league baseball, and he has to travel for games and stuff, so coming here seemed like the best option at the time. We didn't want mom stuck at home looking after us and it's lucky that Char- Dad had said it was okay."

"Hmm," was all that Grandma Helen had to say to that, "Renee never could stay in one place for anyone, anyways." The comment was muttered so quietly, so casually that it was a miracle either of them had heard it. But they had, and by the tilting of Bella's now wilting smile, Beth could see that Grandma Helen was _NOT_ going to be among the list of people Bella called her favorite.

Beth had to look away, the smirk on her mouth a bit too inappropriate for the situation. It was uncalled for, truly, but the string of truth was there- ever-present and very noticeable. Renee really couldn't stay put for very long and that was precisely the reason why Phil and she had worked so well together and how they were still married after a year and a half.

Before Bella could leap to her mother's defense, Charlie and Grandpa Geof had come into the living room with plates of delicious turkey sandwiches, cutting off the remains of the conversations with a remark about how the twins had grown up so fast.

Hours later, a deep, thunderous rumble of an engine interrupted both Beth and Bella from their conversation. Sitting up from her position, Beth remarked, "Geez, what crawled up that engine and died? It sounds like a flipping tank!"

Curious, Bella got up from her spot beside the bed to peek out the window," Well for one, it's not a tank. It's just an old truck- wait, isn't that Billy Black?" She pointed out the window, her breath fogging up the cool glass just a bit. A younger person with long black hair stuck their head out of the driver's window, peering up at her with a bright toothy grin. The truck horn sounded before he jumped out and ran to the other side, pulling out a wheelchair from the bed.

Beth jumped up, coming to look out the window as well, "oh yeah, it is him. And I think that's his son, Jack- I think."

"I thought his name was Jacob?" Bella turned to her twin. Beth made a humming noise, shrugging her shoulders in an 'I don't know fashion. In all honesty, she didn't really care if the boy's name was Jack or Jacob or Johnny, her attention had been captured by the old faded red Chevy they had driven up the driveway. It was cute, in that old-fashioned kind of way- more than likely impractical for the environment, but cute. It had a sweet, grandfatherly charm to it.

"Girls!" Charlie's voice carried up the stairs, "come on down."

The girls shared a look before simultaneously bolting out the door and down the stairs, stumbling, hissing and pushing each other as they went. Bella nearly soared down the steps at one time, but quickly righted herself before she could smack her entire body into the wall at the front door. She let out a loud 'oof' as her elbow came into contact with the doorframe, the funny bone smacking into the wood.

Beth laughed, "Smell ya later, sucker!" and hopped out the front steps and down to the three men.

"So, what do you think?" Charlie piped up beside Billy. The cheeky Sheriff was grinning, looking all too pleased with himself as he gestured to the truck. Beth could barely stop herself from dancing on the spot as Bella finally came out, rubbing her bruised elbow as she did. Was Charlie being serious?

Beth looked between the truck and Charlie with a growing smile.

"Of what?" Bella inquired cautiously. Sure, the truck was cool, but it was so loud and looked none too stable judging off of the sound that came from the engine. But to be fair, it _would_ be a lot better than driving to school in a squad car the following Monday. Bella could just imagine how all the kids at school would want to stay as far away from them as possible, what with being new and arriving with their dad's none too subtle red and blue flashing lights.

"Your homecoming present," Charlie leaned against the side of the truck.

" _Are you serious_?" Bella smiled, eyes lighting up in surprise.

" _I think_ you're my favorite parent," Beth reached over to hug him, grateful for such a large gift. She couldn't drive yet, choosing to hold off on her driver's license for a few more years- but Bella was set and she could just barely feel her sister's tangible relief at not arriving at school with their Dad. After all, they were old enough now to be able to get to places without much help from either parent.

Charlie stiffened in the embrace but hugged back briefly before pulling away out of embarrassment. A much more excited Bella went to inspect the truck further with Jacob (whom they confirmed was actually named Jacob- Bella was right) who was telling her how to work it properly.

"...you have to double pump the clutch, it's a bit tricky-.."

"I love it." Beth repeated as she ran her hand against the solid metal of the truck. There was a bit of rust, she wouldn't lie, but it was perfect for getting them to and from school for now until she could get a job and afford a bicycle. But Bella, she knew would never get one, preferring to drive the dangerous metal machines over a "tiny" and in her words "easily destroyable and fickle seat with wheels".

"That's great." The deep olive-skinned man in the wheelchair began, "Charlie was nice enough to take it off my hands for you girls."

"Aw, hush." Charlie slung his arm over Beth's shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad." Beth nudged him, "Thank you, Mr. Black."

"Call me Billy." The man, Billy, corrected, "You guys should come down to watch the games sometimes. I'm sure Jacob would be glad for the company."

Beth cocked an eyebrow, was he trying to play matchmaker? She could see how Jacob acted around them, Bella specifically- it wasn't hard to see that he had a small crush on her twin. That made her smile, he was rare for his gender- nervous, awkward, and unsure in his approach. She didn't blame him though, lots of guys in Phoenix showed an interest in Bella. She was very pretty. But where she felt unsure was if Bella would reciprocate any feelings towards him. After all, he looked about fourteen/ fifteen and Beth didn't think that Bella would go for a younger guy. Heck, in a year, that kind of thing would be seen as illegal.

"We'll see," Beth replied, in a non-committal sort of way. Sitting around watching football and drinking beer wasn't one of her top favorite things to do, even if it could be considered as bonding time with her, Bella, and Charlie.

"So, do you need a ride to school in the mornings? I know Beth wouldn't mind it," Bella offered.

Jacob grinned, Bella's eyes are drawn in by his goofy, wide-tooth smile. "Nah, I go to school down on the reservation. Thanks though."

Bella hummed, "That's a shame, it would have been nice to know at least one local." Indeed it would be. She could see it now, being watched like animals at a zoo, other students walking around them and tip-toeing like they were going to reach out and bite them. Well, it was either that or being flocked like those birds from Nemo that cried out "Mine, Mine Mine!" every five seconds. At least with the company of someone they were familiar with, the stares would feel a lot less uncomfortable. 

Jacob laughed, "I'm sure you guys will be fine." All in all, Bella COULD wait a bit more than the weekend until school started. And what was even worse than being new, was being new and starting in the middle of the year. Oh, god. She could only hope that nothing embarrassing would happen, like falling on her face the first day of school. Granted, she doubted Beth would let that happen, _but it could still happen_.


	8. Angel of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens like a headless chicken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have been able to meet Kristen Stewart!

**I** t was safe to say, the day could have started off _a lot_ better. For _the both_ of them. After all, receiving a pillow to the face from your older twin is never a nice thing to wake up to.

"Agh!" Beth startled from under the soft material, "What the heck, Bella?" Blinking tiredly, her finger prodded the corner of her eyes to get out the gunk that had built up in the night.

Bela smirked, "Dude, it's time to get up. I wanna get to school early so we're not walking around like headless chickens without any sense of direction."

Beth squinted up at her sister before glancing at her clock, "We're gonna do that anyway!" She exclaimed, flopping back into her bedsheets, trying to salvage any leftover warmth from the night. Forks was freezing, as always and apparently, the heating had broken sometime in the last three years since they'd been there, chipping in ever so often- whenever it felt like. Beth loved the cold, honestly, but the whole point of liking the cold was to get warm. To snuggle in blankets and cuddle with a teddy bear on a cozy bed. How their Dad had survived all these years was truly a mystery. And he couldn't even cook! "Give me five more minutes.." She muttered into her pillow, pulling the sheet over her head to block out what little light was streaming in through her window.

Bella sighed, already expecting such a response. She was half-tempted to go and get a glass of water but knowing Beth as well as the back of her hand, she did not have a death wish. Choosing something a lot less drastic, she threw the covers off of her twin's feet, and ignoring her sibling's hiss, she grabbed the offending appendages and pulled- HARD. Beth shrieked as she was launched from her bed onto the cold hardwood floors, groaning in pain as her ass made contact with the floor.

The loud thud that erupted from the sound had Charlie peeking over his newspaper at the ceiling, wondering if he should be intervening. One quick glance at the clock had him doing a double-take, and it was decided for him. He didn't have the time to intervene anyways. A mysterious attack down by some counties nearby was confusing a lot of officers, the victim's body drained of all blood- many of them suspected it was an animal like a mountain lion because of the bites; large, fang-like marks on the jugular and arms. So, they were referred to him and asked if he could come down and take a look to see if he knew what it was, having experience in hunting cougars and the like.

\-----

Beth stepped down carefully, avoiding the puddle with balanced and cautious steps. She didn't want to slip and fall, already having a not-so-pleasant start to the day due to a certain someone with a nickname that starts with B and ends with an 'Ella. Opening the truck door, her poor nose was assaulted with the smell of _tobacco_ and _old person._ Two of which she despised. Despite having been old before and having that distinct smell, she always made every effort to eradicate it with her favorite fragrance- normally something with a Cucumber Melon scent. Sadly, she hadn't found such perfume in this life just yet.

Their dad came down the steps next, his steps as careful and as cautious as hers had been- if not more so. Bella _had_ to have gotten her clumsy streak from somewhere.

"So," He began, fixing a clip on his uniform, "first day. Are you excited?"

The technical centenarian threw a skeptical glance at her father, her expressive eyes saying much more than she ever could. 'What kind of question was that?' they asked.

Charlie swallowed, "right. Dumb question."

And then in true Bella style, she came tumbling down the icy steps and into the puddle harder than Humpty Dumpty. Charlie didn't hesitate to swoop down and pick his daughter off the ground, helping her get her footing while throwing a glare at his other daughter who had to hold onto the car door to keep from falling too- due to how hard she had begun to wheeze-laugh. She fake wiped at a non-existent tear, "Ah, _every time_."

"Shut _up_." Bella hissed, her cheeks growing red with every passing second. She passed by her twin to get to the driver's side, throwing her bag in. Just as she was about to jump into the truck, Charlie spoke up,

"You guys are gonna have to have dinner without me today," he began, walking over to his car. "Got a call down from Mason County, a security guard at the Grayson Mill got killed by some kind of animal. They want me to come to take a look at the body."

"Animal?" Bella asked in stunned confusion. Even Beth was intrigued. When was the last time she had heard about something like that down in Phoenix? Probably never. It was getting painfully obvious that Forks wasn't anything like Phoenix, nor would it hold any comparison. They were dealing with a whole bowl of different fish.

" You aren't in Phoenix anymore, girls. Remember that." That was all Charlie said before hopping into the driver's seat and backing out of the driveway.

Bella made a humming noise, her hand grazing her backside where it made contact with the ground. "Do I have a wet spot?"

Beth bit her lip, looking directly at the very obvious wet spot on her sister's jeans, trying not to laugh as the memory of her twin falling flat on her ass swam in her mind's eye once more, "Nah, you're fine." She chuckled evilly in her mind, deciding this was perfect revenge for this morning. That would surely teach her sister not to wake her up as she had. Besides, it wasn't like her sister was going to meet the potential love of her life, it was the only school. It'd probably dry before they got there anyways.

"Good."

And off they went.

"You gotta admit though, you falling was karma for this morning." She snickered.

Bella felt no shame in admitting that she swerved just at the right moment so that Beth's head banged into the window.

" _Motherfucker!_ "

Now it was her turn to laugh.

____

If the truck was as loud as the color was obnoxious, Beth would bet good money that the entire school had heard them coming before they actually got anywhere within a mile of it. And already, even from inside the truck, the two could feel the stares digging into their necks like the other students were attempting to read their every thought. It was amazing really, with how hard they were staring that they couldn't already tell what color bra and panty set Beth was wearing.

She could barely withhold the snarky comment that threatened to burst from her lips when some kid that had his van parked next to the truck had greeted them with a "Nice ride." Neither could tell if he was being sarcastic in his comment, but it was decided when the almost sour-faced chic sucking on a twizzler beside him nudged him in the side and said,

"Good one."

Then Beth could barely stop herself from strangling her twin when she had replied with a small and timid, " Thanks." But because of all the other kids sitting in the car park, watching them with wide eyes, she refrained from bringing any more attention towards them. Honestly, did they have nothing better to do than sit around the parking lot and watch people all day long? What about school work? Wasn't it the middle of March? It did not make any sense to Beth.

And it wasn't until after they had gotten lost twice, found the office, spoke with an (n obviously colorblind) woman named Mrs.Cope who used the word "dear" way too much, that someone approached them. His hair was dark and greasy(a trait only found in guys that spent way too much time on their hair and used bottle by bottles of conditioner to make it stay down) in a Justin Bieber- like swoop. He wore a dress shirt and tie, looking more like he was just trying out the look to see if it suited him rather than dressing like he usually would. All of this was painfully obvious in one glance.

"You're Isabella and Elizabeth Swan, right?" He started, and without waiting on a confirmation - truly pointless, it was so obvious that they were in fact, the new kids - continued on, "Hi, I'm Eric. The eyes and ears of this place." He gestured to the prison-esque brick buildings in front of them.

"Anything you need, tour guide, lunch date- a shoulder to cry on- I'm your guy." Beth grimaced, his over-friendly grin was a bit too bright for the dreary weather.

"Uh," Someone bumped into Bella's shoulder, "I'm really the more suffer in silence type. Beth's more the social clique kind of person."

Did Beth glare harshly at her sister, why? Why did Bella do that? His eyes flashed to Beth and his grin somehow got even brighter. Beth had a feeling that if it did anymore, he'd be bright enough to glow in the dark. Feeling a pinch at her side, her glare vanished and in place sat a perfectly crafted fake smile that she gave to the boy, Eric. She might as well learn his name, he didn't seem like he was going anywhere without being of use to them first. Might as well get along. Had the stares increased? The twins felt very exposed where they were in the middle of the hallway.

"Really?" He chuckled, "Good headline for the feature!"

"Feature?" Beth asked,

Bella followed up immediately, "what feature?"

"We have a school paper and you're big news, girls, front page!"

"Please no!" "Can I decline?"

They spoke simultaneously, confusing Eric just a bit before he caught on, "Okay, chillax. If you don't want it, no problem. No pressure, no feature!"

"Thank you."

"So, what building are you guys headed to?"

Beth spoke up then, "I'm headed to building 4? I have Government with Mr. Johnson." Eric grinned again, brushing off his disappointment at having no feature to write for the school paper.

"And I have Mr. Varner in building six," Bella read from her timetable. She and Beth only had Gym and Spanish together. For all of their other classes, they were separated. She desperately wished that they hadn't been. Now the day seemed to be that much longer and much more anxiety-inducing.

"Awesome! I have Government with you right now, Elizabeth." Eric started ushering them to a building marked B & D. "And I can point you in the right direction, Isabella. It should be easy for you to find your way then, the buildings are right next door to each other!" That made no sense. Why was building 4 next to building 6? The layout of this school was way too confusing, Beth deduced, and it would take a while for them to get used to it.

"It's just Bella, actually. And she prefers Beth."

"Bella and Beth, huh?" he tested it out, "Alright, let's get going. You guys can sit with me and my friends at lunch if you want. They will love you guys."

"That sounds great."

"Yeah, thanks for the offer, Eric."

The twins didn't see each other again until gym, which was third period, the class before lunch.

\--------

'SMACK' Beth watched from behind the net as the ball Bella yeeted into the air came into contact with a boy. The boy winced, clutching the back of his head as the ball bounced away.

Grimacing at him, she walked over, "Sorry about that, my sister is a real clutz. I told the coach that she's more likely to hurt someone out there than actually score a point."

His head shot up instantly, eyes appraising her in the ugly gym sweats and a baggy t-shirt with the Forks High School logo in print. Beth winced, already regretting coming over here but was saved when Bella finally got the courage to scurry over with apologies already spilling from her mouth. Her twin rolled her eyes, catching the eye of a preppy-looking girl who kept throwing glances at the boy Bella was talking to. It was pretty obvious why she was doing it and it definitely wasn't because they were new.

Mike's eyes flicked from Beth," yeah, it's totally cool," then back to Bella, "And you're Elizabeth, right?"

Beth cleared her throat, stepping forward with a raised hand, "I'm Beth. That's my sister Bella."

"Oh, right! The new girls, right? Twins?"

"Fraternal, but yeah."

"I'm Mike, Newton." He raised his hand for a shake, both girls shaking his offered hand before awkwardly shuffling back as the girl from before, Preppy, began making her move. Her sneakers squeaked on the hardwood as she jogged over, ponytail swishing left and right, "She's got a great spike, huh Mike?"

"Yeah," Mike began rubbing his neck.

"I'm Jessica by the way," she introduced herself, eyes flickering between the two sisters but always flitting back to the boy, like he was a beacon calling her home. An almost nervous smile tugged at her lips, hoping that the boy of her dreams would notice her and only her. Unfortunately, that was not how a teenage boy's mind worked. And just as Beth predicted, Mike's attention, captured by her sister's beauty, was back to shuffling his feet and glancing up at her ever so often.

"Hey," Jessica began," you guys are from Arizona, right?"

"U-huh," Beth affirmed, shifting closer to Bella. She knew of girls like Jessica. She kind of reminded Beth of those girls from school back in Phoenix, the ones that Bella was talking to before they had left for their flight. Digging for information, very gossipy, Barbie-like, and just very basic. Not one to immediately form a verdict for their personality, Beth gave 'Jessica' the benefit of the doubt, choosing to see where this conversation would lead before jumping and attacking her for no good, solid reason.

"Aren't people from Arizona, supposed to be like- really tan? You know, with all that sun?"

And there it was. This valley girl was leaving a very bad taste in her mouth.

"Yeah," Bella piped up, "Maybe that's why they kicked us out."

Mike reeled back with a laugh, head of blonde hair thrown back in mirth. And Jessica, obviously not too amused, laughed along with a very fake tone, "So funny."

"You're good, Arizona," Mike commended.

Beth could only watch them with an aghast expression. " _Oh my god_ ," She couldn't stay in her sister's awkward presence any second more. It was painful. Physically painful to watch that happen in front of her very eyes. Choosing to leave the three teens to their devices, she walked off, still painfully aware of the eyes that watched her go. No doubt she'd be hearing from Bella at lunch how she shouldn't have left her to the wolves. And knowing that her twin would do so, she counted on it so that she could bring up a similar situation with Eric this morning. That would surely get her to keep quiet.

At lunch, Mike had practically bent over at the waist to pull out Bella's and Beth's chairs for them both, before grabbing one for himself. "Miladies," he gestured to the retrieved chairs.

"Why, thank you.." Beth nodded, watching from over another girl's shoulder as Jessica practically speed walked over to the table with another girl wearing glasses. Eric, already sitting down with his lunch, was talking with another girl, pausing his conversation to brag, "Hey, Mike. You met my homegirls, Bella _and_ Beth?" It wasn't hard to guess what was being implied here.

"Oh! _Your_ homegirls?" Bella felt Mike practically bristle beside her, moving further back in her chair as he leaned closer, almost territorially.

" _My girls_ ," Another guy, the same one from this morning that insulted the truck, popped out from seemingly nowhere, leaned over to kiss each of the twins' cheeks before pulling Mike's chair from under him. The fallen boy took chase, sprinting furiously after the other and straight out of the cafeteria. Eric laughed loudly at the spectacle, others from nearby tables joining in.

And then finally, with more than just a disappointed pout on her lips, arrived Jessica with the girl in glasses in tow. Fixing her face into a smile, she slid into the recently vacated seat, "Wow, it's almost like we're in the second grade all over again and you guys are the shiny new toys."

But before either of the two shiny new toys' could make a comment, a blinding flash shocked them both. "Smile!" It was the girl with the glasses, holding up a camera. Eric started from beside them,

"The feature's dead, Angie. Don't bring it up again!" And without further adieu, got up in a huff and left.

"That's not even elementary style. More like brutish cavemen," Beth commented, picking a piece of celery from Bella's plate and dipping it in a hearty coating of the ranch. The taste of the vegetable by itself was absolutely horrible, there was no lying there. But somehow, food tasted different coming from another person's plate. At this, Bella threw her twin a light-hearted glare, placing a protective hand over her food and pushing it away just a little.

"Right? Right?" Jessica agreed wholeheartedly.

Beside her, Angela dejectedly placed her camera on the table, "Oh, sorry. I guess we'll run another editorial on teen drinking."

"Or on why consent matters," Beth supplied and nudged Bella in her rib.

"Speedo- padding on the swim team..?" She suggested and much to her delight, both girls in front of them brightened almost instantly.

"Actually, that's a good one!"

"That's what I was thinking!"

"Kirk, right?" Jessica asked in glee, leaning over to the other girl beside Beth, who had been quiet up until this point.

"Jess, there's just no way."

"Why not? We're talking about Olympic size."

"Exactly, that's why it can't be true. Isabel would have said something."

Jessica paused before nodding, "Okay, that's true."

"Isabel?" Bella cut in.

The girl paused and straightened as if just remembering that they were new. Beth watched her cautiously, ready to muster up some stank-ass reply at a moment's notice. Anything for old Twizz Sucker.

"Oh, she's one of my best friends," the girl gestured off to her left where a girl and guy were sitting off to the side at another table, sucking face like no tomorrow. Beth's eyebrows rose up, wondering where on Earth the teachers or cafeteria monitors were. Were they blind? And if that was Twizza's best friend, what did that mean for her? "I'm Lauren by the way, of course, Jessica's probably told you all about _me_ already."

"Unfortunately, no," Bella pinched her sister's side once again, "I mean, she hasn't had the chance to. It's nice meeting you." And then hissed, " _Keep your damn fingers to yourself!_ " to Bella, who watched her with an innocent smile.

"Lauren!" The girl, Isabel, called out to her then. And without so much as a goodbye, the girl herself got up and left.

"Eating disorders is another good one," her sister added, in an attempt to get the conversation back on track.

But Beth was no longer paying attention, her eyes catching sight of five, almost god-like, people sitting in the far left of the cafeteria. They had this strange picturesque quality to them like they'd been painted by a perfectionist. They looked almost, unnervingly, perfect and inhumane. Almost manufactured instead of grown. And then Beth felt it, almost like an itch, she couldn't scratch. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something that felt oddly _wrong_ about them.

"..What are you looking at, Beth?" she heard Jessica call to her, but before she could think to turn around and look somewhere else, the preppy-chic girl had already known. " _Oh_!" she started with an 'of course' tone. She leaned in then, as if sharing a dirty secret, hair almost spilling into her questionable pasta if it weren't for a patient Angela moving it out of the way in time, "Those are the Cullens."

Almost as if one of them heard, Beth could have sworn she saw the youngest looking one, a boy with the oddest hair colour; the same likeness to a penny, tilted his head the slightest bit in their direction and caught her eyes. Without thinking, she turned around to the table fully, now paying attention to what Jessica was saying. There was no possible way that he had heard them talking about him and his family- no way. Even if Jessica did have a loudmouth with a voice that seemed to carry over even the loudest part of the cafeteria, there was still no way he could have heard that.

Brushing it off as hunger, she snatched another piece of celery from Bella when she wasn't looking. The satisfying crunch brought her back to reality.

"-their mom can't have kids, so they had to adopt. It's weird though, because all of them are together- like together, _together_."

"Jessica, they aren't actually related!" Angela piped up beside her.

"I know, it's still weird though."

"Wow," Bella commented, "It's so nice of Dr. Cullen to adopt so many kids."

"I know, right? Maybe he'll adopt me?" Angela joked, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Anyways, the blonde girl is Rosalie and her boyfriend, Emmett, is the big guy with dark hair." Beth could see that from the way Rosalie was looking into her reflection with a spoon, that she took pride in her good looks because truly, she was stunning. She had this old beauty to her, that Beth hadn't seen a very, very long time. But the dark-haired male, was so big- she would bet good money that he was definitely a bodybuilder or maybe even a farmer at one point. But with clothes like those, it was easy to tell- he was definitely not a farmer anymore. His biceps looked like they could accidentally kill her if he attempted to give her a noogie.

"The dark-haired girl is Alice and she's super, super weird. She's with Jasper, the blonde dude who looks like he's always in pain." Personally, the blonde male looked more uncomfortable and restrained...? Like he was uncomfortable with being in the presence of so many people at once. But the girl with the pixie cut, Alice, had this excited, almost secretive smile on her face like she knew something that nobody else did. She also seemed very smug and satisfied. Beth would give anything to know why she was so bubbly too.

"And the last one is Edward. He's totally hot, of course, but doesn't have a girlfriend- trust me, don't even _think_ of trying. Apparently, nobody here is good enough for his taste."

"Wasn't planning on it," Beth assured and had to wonder when Edward had turned her down and how he had done it so brutally that she'd become so bitter about it. "Have you ever thought that maybe he's queer?"

At this, Jessica sputtered, "what?" And then a booming laugh so loud, it echoed throughout the room, sounded from _their_ table, and Beth couldn't help but take a peek back at them.

The dark-haired one, Emmett, had his head thrown back, gleaming teeth on show as he laughed. In fact, all of them looked as though they had just heard something so absolutely amusing. Well, all except Penny boy, of course. He looked almost angry and ...was that embarrassing? His hand was clenched into a tight fist as he glared down at the table as if cursing it for mocking him.

Raising a confused eyebrow, Beth could only turn around and begin to listen to Jessica once more, prattle on about how many people were supposedly gay or a lesbian at the school after both Bella and Angela had become very quiet.

As soon as the bell rang, the twins were off to class together again, to Espanol. And then separated again, for Beth had Biology and Bella had Economics with Angela and Eric for last period. Unfortunately for Beth, Lauren and Mike were in her class, the latter adamant about walking with her while the former simply rolled her eyes and walked off as quickly as possible. Beth didn't mind one bit. Lauren was already not well-liked by Bella and Beth saw no reason to be nice to the nasty girl if that was all she was going to be. She ran a strict policy that carried over into this life; 'Treat people how you want to be treated' and that stuck with her. So that's exactly what she planned to do.

Walking into the Biology classroom, Beth had to stifle a gasp. Penny boy, Edward, was there in what seemed to be the only seat available. Wincing and knowing her luck, she knew that her hope for his lab partner to be one of the other students loitering in the class was hopeless.

He watched her through pensive eyes, trying to piece together what exactly made her and her twin sister so special in the eyes of all the humans that surrounded him and his family. Personally, he didn't see anything too special. The new girl, Beth (the name he picked from Mike Newton's overly hormonal brain), was just plain. Average. Sure, she had this unique beauty one didn't see very often, but she was still a plain Jane in every sense of the term. Her brown hair that reminded him of dirt hung in loose waves that framed her face, brown eyes piercing him, and- His own butterscotch pools widened in alarm, her mind was silent! For the first time in his immortal life, he could not read a human's mind. It was...unnerving for him, having expected to hear thoughts about how he was so good looking' and how she 'should not get emotionally attached because of what Jessica said'. Blah, Blah blah... But there was nothing, not even a peep. He even had to question if she had any thoughts for a second, she certainly didn't look like the type of girl who was overly smart and studious in her approach to school.

And then Beth stepped in front of the fan that blew a giant whiff of her scent towards him. He barely held himself back from launching over the cool black tabletop, his hand slapping over his mouth and nose in a feeble attempt at keeping her scent away from his senses that screamed 'Food!', 'Feast on her!' & 'Kill her!'. The monster inside of him raged as he sat there, silently still and glaring at the girl whose thoughts he couldn't hear. Already, he was forming plans in his mind to lure her out of the classroom very soon and have his wicked way with her...delectable blood that ran through her veins. Even now, he could hear her pathetic heart pumping furiously as it tried to push the blood up to her cheeks. Good lord, he could taste her sweet nectar in his mind right now, just from the small smell he got of her from not a second ago.

'Stop!' Alice screamed in her head as she got more and more visions of her brother killing one of the new girls, each more disturbing than the last.

Immediately, Edward felt shame, the girl was only minding her business with Mr. Molina- unaware that a predator watched her every move and listened in on every beat of her heart. He was disgusted, truly.

Meanwhile, poor Beth was trying to stay calm as Mr. Molina handed her slip back and pointed her to Penny boy's table, completely unaware that she'd be sitting less than three feet away from someone who could kill her within the blink of an eye. What was his issue? Why was he reacting like that? His mouth and nose was covered by long, pale fingers as though he had just smelled the foulest thing of his life. Beth hitched on a step, was it her? Did she smell like the truck? Taking a subtle sniff of her shoulder, she easily deduced that no- she did not stink of tobacco and old people...so why was he reacting so horribly? Sliding into her seat, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed and offended by his move to shift his stool to the far- FAR -side of the table, putting ample distance between the two. And something that didn't happen often, had to happen then- Beth blushed and then the glare in his eyes deepened tenfold. Beth felt a streak of shame, turning her eyes to the front of the class as she tried to ignore the stare she felt boring a hole into her neck.

The boy next to her looked like the angel of death, what with the white wings of an owl that sat just behind him on a shelf. Beth felt her breath hitch, was he the angel of death? Had he recognized his mistake in sending her to live again? Was he going to take her back to that empty peacefulness she had felt before being birthed the second time? And then quickly, she snapped out of her revere- it was only a teenage boy! It was just a coincidence that he looked like an angel with his wings spread.

And then all too soon, the bell rang to signify the end of school and Penny boy had shot up faster than she could say 'flight from death' and practically sprinted out the door, coat swishing behind him.

"Did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or something?" A voice chuckled beside her. Beth blinked and looked at the friendly face of Mike Newton, trying to come back from her thoughts above the clouds. What was that lesson about? Had it really been forty minutes already?

She sighed, "Nope." And left to meet Bella at the office with a quick wave to the ever-eager puppy boy.

"It's freezing outside!" Bella had greeted her sister, hands numbing and nose turning pink from the cold.

"I know," Beth started, checking over hers and Bella's slip to ensure they were fully filled out. Her mind kept flickering back to Penny boy and his rude reaction, though. "How about you warm up the car and I'll give these in?" At her sister's nod, Beth turned and made her way through the double doors again before groaning internally. Of course, it was him!

Bella half-ran, half-walked to her truck, carefully maneuvering her way around the puddles, and shrieked when someone barrelled into her, making her lose her footing and slip all over the place. Had she struck a wall?

"I got you," Beth caught her for the hundredth time and Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

" _Asshole_ ," Beth muttered, looking after the jackass that hadn't even bothered to say sorry for bumping into her sister. 


	9. Highschool Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Absent lab partners and Grandma Helen attempting to give them 'The Talk'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight and all affiliated characters are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I do not own any of the aforementioned characters except Beth and the plot of this story (that is, should it stray from the original Twilight). This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official storyline. I am not in any way, shape, or form benefiting financially from the publishing of this story on this site and am very grateful for Mrs. Meyer's creation. Besides, if I did own Twilight, I'd have a nice house, with a view and a new pair of shoes, gucci gang little- 
> 
> Anywayyyyyyysssss.....

Beth had been dreading going back to school. And it wasn’t because of the overeager boys that second-guessed every bit of attention any girl ever gave them. No, it wasn’t Jessica Stanley and her inability to stop gossiping about the latest things that occurred at their small-town school, either. Rather, one particular person who could prove to be an issue. Edward Cullen, or, Penny, as Beth had taken to calling him. After his rather dramatic reaction to her when she walked into class, his abrupt departure, and his less than stellar performance at the office with both Mrs. Cope and Bella in the parking lot- it was almost too easy to determine what type of person he was with the mysterious and broody vibe he had going on. And Beth was not interested in whatever he was planning to do today. 

Would he jump up and declare most extravagantly that the new girls were utterly hideous and had no right being amongst him and his family? Or would he still be disgusted with her presence? To Beth, the opportunities were endless. And that’s what she didn’t like. He was one of those mysterious, bad boy types that strived to be as unpredictable as possible, and oh- had he achieved it.

Beth had paused in the lunchroom, her eyes drifting to an empty table before flickering to the usual where Lauren and Isabel were already seated. Drugging up her courage, she spun on her heel and headed straight for the table. She wanted to keep up the good week so far, and a nagging feeling in her gut told her she’d get anything but peace and contentment if she had continued on her path.

“Beth?” Bella had called, spotting her as she and Angela made their way through the room. Beth hummed, biting into her sandwich, but not paying much attention to her twin. She was giving her a choice, to sit with her newfound friends or sit with her. Without a word and unfaltering in her loyalty, Bella walked over to her sister and plunked down into a chair with Angela on her right. If the bespectacled girl had a problem, she didn’t say- choosing instead to jump back into her conversation with Bella about the upcoming spring dance that couldn’t be more than a month and a half away. 

Soon Jessica was faced with the same choice when she walked inside the cafeteria and with more than a little hesitation, made her way over to their table. 

“What’s up with that?” Mike inquired as he, Eric & Tyler finally made their way out of the messy lunch line. Tyler, ever the oblivious, looked over to where Mike was gesturing, his eyebrows raised in curiosity,

“Heck if I know.” Before making his way to the usual spot. Lauren, sourfaced and glaring at Beth as though she’d eaten a lemon, perked up at their arrival and greeted them with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. 

“Thank god some of you have sense,” The senior picked at her food. “Brunette one and two stole Jess and Ang already, it’s a freaking miracle that you guys see that kind of manipulation happening.”

  
  


“ _Manipulation_?” Eric’s lips molded the word, no sound coming from his throat as he contemplated the blonde’s words. Seeing no such thing in the other’s decision, he cast the girl a wary glance before sharing similar looks with Mike and Tyler. Lauren was probably going crazy.

“I don’t think she’s manipulating anyone,” The baby-faced blonde boy declared quietly, chomping on a greasy fry.

Lauren’s eyes rolled sky high, “Of course you don’t, Michael.” 

Despite the coloring in his cheeks at her reply, he stopped chewing and responded, “Whatever Lauren. See you in Spanish.” And with that rebuke, the young boy got up and carried his plate of unhealthy food towards the four girls. 

Eric cleared his throat then, “I’m with him.” 

Leaving Tyler at the mercy of Lauren’s ire, the young man whose cheeks were filled with bites of his hamburger, peeked up at the girl before he too was racing off without a word. 

Lauren’s fist slammed onto the table, startling Isabel who had been previously texting away on her phone with a smile- completely blinded to the world around her.

“What is your problem?” 

Lauren’s only response was to growl in frustration. 

\--------------------------------------------

To say Beth was surprised by the turn of events was an understatement. All she’d wanted to do was sit elsewhere for the day if only to get a break from Lauren and her obnoxious habits and backhanded compliments. She certainly hadn’t expected the others to join her. But when no one else made a comment about it happening, she too decided it best to leave it alone and focused on a new member, Ben Cheney,-also in her Bio class- who had come to sit next to Angela to ask about their study schedule. Apparently, Angela was a tutor. 

“So, is Wednesday good?” The shy boy inquired, hands fiddling nervously with his own spectacles. A faint speckle of red rose up into his cheeks as Angela turned her attention to him. 

“Oh yea, definitely. My place again?” 

“Onl-Only if you're comfortable..?” He stuttered adorably. 

Angela laughed then, “Ben, I wouldn’t have suggested if it wasn’t okay.” And then proceeded to bop him on his nose.

His hand reached up to cup the back of his neck, "Right! Right..” He glanced down at his lunch, quickly shoveling a bite of his burrito into his mouth to avoid making a bigger fool of himself. Meanwhile, Beth blinked from her position on his right. It was as clear as day that the two had feelings for one another. 

And so when lunch had finished and Beth, Mike, and Ben were walking to Bio together, the former had waited until the blonde had become distracted by the numerous people calling out to him to talk with Ben. 

“So, you and Angie?” 

He started, eyes wide as her words registered with him. “WH-what?” 

“I mean, it’s pretty obvious that you like her,” Beth continued, ignoring his flabbergasted expression. 

“What do you mean?” He started and moved closer to her to speak in a lower tone. If word got out that Ben Cheney liked Angela Weber, the whole town would know about it by supper time thanks to Forks’ unusually excellent rumor mill. And if Angela didn’t already know, she would by the end of the next period, “Do you think-?”

“OH!” Beth shook her head, “I don’t think so. It’s not THAT obvious. I just knew what to look for, ya know?”

“Oh,” Ben deflated, “Please don’t tell her, Beth.”

“Chill, Ben.” Beth assured the teenager, “Your secret is safe with me. I’ll carry it to the grave.”

Ben watched her for a moment, searching for any sign of deceit in her eyes before deciding that she was in fact, trustworthy. 

“But you should definitely tell her!” She encouraged, “Life’s too short to hold your feelings back.” 

Beth smiled, satisfied, before walking inside, leaving a bemused Ben Cheney at the doorway. The next sight she was greeted with both made her happy and frustrated at the same time. 

Her desk was empty. And that meant her lab partner wasn’t here.   
  
And that she’d have to do this lab alone.

As it turned out, it wasn’t just Tuesday he was absent for. In fact, Edward Cullen had disappeared for the rest of the week. Beth had seen his family around, they were hard to miss, with looking like they did, but nobody commented on his absence or noted it with any real concern. And neither did Beth. The next week that passed was utter bliss. 

That bliss continued on Friday when the girls had driven over to their grandparents for dinner. It had become somewhat a tradition now, to go over for dinner every Friday night, whether or not Charlie was with them. Mostly, it was just to make sure that their grandparents were okay. They were already in their late seventies and early sixties and it was the least they could do while Charlie was away for work- like this Friday. 

Though, that evening, it was a bit of a surprise when he showed up just when they had been serving their own food. 

“Good evening,” Charlie greeted, taking off his coat and vest and ensuring he hung up his gun before making his way over to the table. A round of pleasantly surprised greetings went up as Charlie came and bestowed a kiss on his daughters and mother's head. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be able to make it?” Grandma Helen inquired curiously, hand on her hip as she held the wooden serving spoon aloft. 

“Yeah, but I finally finished the report for the Mason County case so I decided to head home early,” Charlie explained as he fetched another placemat. 

“How’d that go?” Grandpa Goff asked then, fork paused half-way to his mouth. 

“Ah,” The chief began hesitantly, tossing a look towards his daughters that had paused in their tasks to listen in as well. Heck, even Grandma Helen stopped shoveling rice onto his plate. “Case is cold. There were no obvious signs of struggle but forensics found several bite marks all over the body. Yesterday we heard the results of a DNA test. There’s no wolf or cougar saliva, which was our first guess. But now, we’re basically working with nothing.” 

“Hmm, bitemarks.” That was all Grandpa Goff commented, eyebrows furrowed as his food finally touched his tongue. And then a sharp smack on his shoulder broke his thoughts. “OW!” 

“Grace first, Geoffrey! You know that.” 

“Moving onto lighter topics,” Was what Grandma Helen started off with some minutes later, “How was school this week? Make any new friends?” 

“Yea, some of the kids are pretty cool,” Bella mentioned, “They were all very welcoming.” 

Beth snorted on her left, “That’s an understatement. The guys are all over Bella.” To which she received a swift kick to her shin. She groaned in pain, wincing as Charlie tensed from across the table. 

“Boys?” Their grandma perked up, “Bella, you fox. You just got here!” 

“I-it’s not-” Bella blushed,

“Oh, don’t be shy dear, you’re bound to like one of them soon anyway. No need to be ashamed of your feelings.” 

“I’m not,” Bella muttered quietly. “Well, Beth is lab partners with Edward Cullen,” she slipped into the conversation. Beth choked on her peas, frantically reaching for her water as the food remained lodged in her throat.

“Oh?” 

“Edward Cullen? That’d be one of Dr. Cullen's kids, right?” asked the male patriarch. 

“Yeah, good people. Good family,” Charlie commented, still tense from the topic. He was very uncomfortable, and it showed in the way his shoulders hunched up close. His eyebrows peaked as his eyes searched both his daughters for any reaction. It clearly pained him to talk about this. For all they knew, he still considered them to be babies so any thought of them becoming … intimate with one of the boys in town would certainly put him on edge.

“In any case, Elizabeth, just be safe,” Said Helen.

“What?” The technical centenarian’s mouth dropped in horror. If it was even possible, Charlie tensed even further, then and turned an odd shade of green.

“It’s just necessary in case you find yourself in love with them. I know how teenagers are when they’ve barely left puberty. Hormones fly just as quick as butterflies.” 

“I won’t!” Beth declared, “Nobody here interests me, at all.”

“Well,” Grandma Helen began, drinking some water, “the same goes for you too Bella.” And proceeded to ignore the other twins stuttered protests.

“Nah, they wouldn’t want to give their old man a heart attack,” Grandpa Geoff replied instead, slapping a heavy hand onto his son’s still tense shoulder. “Now, enough of this talk, I don’t want to lose my dinner before I’ve even had all of it.”

Grandma Helen only rolled her eyes at her husband with fond exasperation. 

So yes, Beth had to admit that the week had been utter bliss. 

  
  


Shame it couldn’t be said about the next, though...


End file.
